No tropical vacation plans this summer? No problem! The Hall at MP and CEG Presents are bringing the Caribbean to Brooklyn through a 12-‐ date Caribbean Jerk & Reggae Festival starting August 4th – September 3rd. This local live music venue in the heart of Williamsburg will be turning out handmade spicy Jamaican beef patties, slow-‐roasted jerk chicken, and braised spicy oxtail under the tutelage of Executive/Owner Michael Psilakis, a Michelin starred chef and cookbook author. Will there be Red Stripe? Yah Mon. Will there be Rum Punch? Yah Mon. Are tickets on sale now? Yah Mon.
Featuring the sounds of bands from our own backyard like Brooklyn based The Far East, NYC’s InDaze and Long Island’s Soul Junkies, to national sensations like Challenger, Raj Majesty & The New Vibration, and Top Shotta, the room will be pumping with solid grooves, good vibes, and high energy all month long.
Chef Psilakis and his team have put together a Jamaican-‐inspired feast teeming with Caribbean flavors, spices and dishes that conjure up that island vibe. The house specialty Caribbean Jerk Platter is overflowing with jerk rubbed chicken legs, hot pepper shrimp, Caribbean style rice & peas and tangy stewed cabbage. Coconut Curry Shrimp is peppery on the tongue but creamy on the finish while the Jamaican Hot Pepper Shrimp is scorching with a scotch bonnet sauce. Wash down the savor and spice with house-‐curated Caribbean rum cocktails like a draft Dark & Stormy infused with freshly pressed ginger juice and dark rum and the Pain Killer, a surprisingly sweet cream of coconut-‐based drink spiked with dark rum and citrus. And it goes without saying that plenty of ice-‐cold beers like Red Stripe and Carib will be flowing.
Tickets are on sale now at www.thehallbrooklyn.com/events and can also be purchased at the door pending availability (cash only at the door.) Guests can opt for a GA ticket at $15 and drool over the menu à la carte or pre-‐purchase a ticket that includes the Caribbean Jerk Platter for $37. Doors open at 6pm for an hour long, half-‐off Happy Hour and the show begins at 7pm.
The Reggae Lineup includes:
- Thursday The Far East and ‐ Combines Rocksteady, Roots, and classic Dancehall)
- ‐ Solid grooves, good vibes, and high energy live performance)
- ‐piece instrumental Rockers & Dub group)
- Thursday The Far East (Brooklyn ‐ Combines Rocksteady, Roots, and classic Dancehall)
- ‐ Solid grooves, good vibes, and high energy live performance)
- ‐piece instrumental Rockers & Dub group)
- Thursday 8/25: Soul Junkies (Long Island based Roots RockReggae)
- ‐ Solid grooves, good vibes, and high energy live performance)
- ‐piece instrumental Rockers & Dub group)
- Thursday 9/1: Challenger (Dominican born performer with roots in Caribbean, Reggae, Calyso and Soca music)
- Friday 9/2: Raj Majesty & The New Vibration (Roots/Reggae/Dancehall)
- Saturday 9/3: Challenger (Dominican born performer with roots in Caribbean, Reggae, Calyso and Soca music)
The Hall at MP is a 5,000 square foot live music venue and private events space boasting a variety of concerts and food events like the recently sold out Brooklyn Lobster Fest, running through the end of July, dance infused evenings like (U)NITY (7/30) and Dumbo Burlesque holding residency at The Hall every Saturday late evening this August with Wild Cat Cabaret. For more information, visit www.thehallbrooklyn.com or @TheHallBrooklyn on Facebook and Instagram.
Psilakis has acquired many of the food world’s highest honors in the short time he has been on the culinary scene. In 2008 alone, Psilakis was awarded Food & Wine’s Best New Chef and Bon Appetit’s Chef of the Year distinctions; nominated for A-‐List Chef by Bravo TV; and had his upscale Greek restaurant, Anthos, nominated for a James Beard Award in the category of Best New Restaurant. He was also named “Chef of the Year” by Esquire Magazine and his restaurant Anthos was awarded a Michelin star and named the third of ten best new restaurants by The New York Times restaurant reviewer, Frank Bruni.
